18th Legislative District (New Jersey)

New Jersey's 18th Legislative district
NJ 18th Legislative District (2011 apportionment) within Middlesex County
New Jersey State Senator Peter J. Barnes III (D)
New Jersey General Assemblymembers Patrick J. Diegnan (D)
Nancy Pinkin (D)
Registration 39.8% Democratic
Demographics 59.1% White
6.4% Black/African American
0.2% Native American
28.7% Asian
0.0% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
3.0% Other race
2.6% Two or more races
9.1% Hispanic
Population 210,881
Voting-age population 162,296
Registered voters 130,788

New Jersey's 18th Legislative District is one of 40 in the New Jersey Legislature. As of the 2011 apportionment, the district includes the Middlesex County municipalities of East Brunswick Township, Edison Township, Helmetta Borough, Highland Park Borough, Metuchen Borough, South Plainfield Borough and South River Borough.[1][2]

Changes to the district made as part of the New Jersey Legislative redistricting in 2011, based on the results of the 2010 United States Census, removed Spotswood Borough (to the 14th Legislative District) and added Highland Park (from the 17th Legislative District).

Demographic characteristics

As of the 2010 United States Census, the district had a population of 210,881, of whom 162,296 (77.0%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 124,665 (59.1%) White, 13,433 (6.4%) African American, 435 (0.2%) Native American, 60,509 (28.7%) Asian, 63 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 6,264 (3.0%) from some other race, and 5,512 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19,092 (9.1%) of the population.[3] The district had 130,788 registered voters as of November 2013, of whom 60,583 (46.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated, 52,052 (39.8%) were registered as Democrats, 18,053 (13.8%) were registered as Republicans and 100 (0.1%) were registered to other parties.[4]

The district had the highest percentage of Asian American residents of any district statewide, with African American, Hispanic and elderly below statewide averages. Registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a better than 2 to 1 margin.

Political representation

For the 2014-2015 Legislative Session, the district is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Peter J. Barnes III (D, Edison) and in the General Assembly by Patrick J. Diegnan (D, South Plainfield) and Nancy Pinkin (D, East Brunswick).[5][6]

Election history

In April 1991, five-term incumbent Frank M. Pelly announced that he would not seek re-election and was named by Governor James Florio to serve as executive director of the New Jersey Lottery.[7] In the 1991 Republican landslide, Jack Sinagra took the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Thomas H. Paterniti, while in the Assembly race, Harriet E. Derman and running mate Jeffrey A. Warsh were elected, knocking off Democratic incumbent George A. Spadoro and his running mate Michael Baker.[8][9] Derman and Warsh won re-election in 1993, defeating former Assemblymember Thomas H. Paterniti and his running mate Matthew Vaughn.[10]

After Christine Whitman took office in 1994, she named Derman to head the Department of Community Affairs.[11] Republican Joanna Gregory-Scocchi was chosen by a Republican special convention to fill Derman's vacancy. In a November 1994 special election, early favorite Gregory-Scocchi was defeated by Barbara Buono, after disclosures that Gregory-Scocchi's temporary employment firm had hired illegal immigrants.[12]

In the 1995 elections, the Assembly seats swung back to the Democrats, with Barbara Buono holding onto her seat and her running mate Peter J. Barnes II winning too, defeating Republican incumbent Warsh and his running mate Jane Tousman, despite Republicans outspending the Democrats by a 2-1 margin in the bitterly fought battleground district.[13]

In May 2001, Sinagra announced that he would not run for a fourth term, leaving Barbara Buono as the favorite to pick up the seat for the Democrats.[14][15] Buono went on to win the Senate seat, and in the Assembly Peter J. Barnes II won re-election together with running mate Patrick J. Diegnan, leaving all three legislative seats controlled by Democrats for the first time since 1991.[16]

In March 2007, after Peter J. Barnes II was confirmed to a seat on the New Jersey State Parole Board, his son Peter J. Barnes III was chosen to fill his vacant seat in the Assembly by a convention of Democratic party delegates.[17]

In the November 2013 gubernatorial election, Barbara Buono chose not to run for re-election, choosing instead to mount an unsuccessful challenge to Chris Christie's bid for re-election as Governor of New Jersey.[18] In the 18th district, Peter J. Barnes III moved from the Assembly to the Senate, winning Buono's seat against East Brunswick mayor David Stahl in a close race. Barnes's seat in the Assembly was won by East Brunswick Township Councilmember Nancy Pinkin.[19]

Session State Senate[8] Assembly[9]
1976-1977 Bernard J. Dwyer James Bornheimer John H. Froude
1978-1979 Bernard J. Dwyer James Bornheimer John H. Froude
1980-1981 James Bornheimer Thomas H. Paterniti
1982-1983 James Bornheimer Thomas H. Paterniti Frank M. Pelly
1984-1985 Peter P. Garibaldi Thomas H. Paterniti Frank M. Pelly
1986-1987 Thomas H. Paterniti Frank M. Pelly
1988-1989 Thomas H. Paterniti Frank M. Pelly George A. Spadoro
1990-1991[20] Frank M. Pelly George A. Spadoro
1992-1993 Jack Sinagra Jeffrey A. Warsh Harriet E. Derman
Joanna Gregory-Scocchi
1995[21] Jack Sinagra Jeffrey A. Warsh Barbara Buono
1996-1997 Peter J. Barnes II Barbara Buono
1998-1999[22] Jack Sinagra Peter J. Barnes II Barbara Buono
2000-2001[23] Peter J. Barnes II Barbara Buono
2002-2003[16] Barbara Buono Peter J. Barnes II Patrick J. Diegnan
2004-2005[24] Barbara Buono Peter J. Barnes II Patrick J. Diegnan
2006-2007 Peter J. Barnes II Patrick J. Diegnan
2008-2009 Barbara Buono Peter J. Barnes III Patrick J. Diegnan
2010-2011[25] Peter J. Barnes III Patrick J. Diegnan
2012-2013 Barbara Buono Peter J. Barnes III Patrick J. Diegnan
2014-2015[26] Peter J. Barnes III Patrick J. Diegnan Nancy Pinkin

References

  1. ↑ Districts by Number, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ Municipalities (sorted by 2011 legislative district), New Jersey Department of State. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ DP-1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 from the 2010 Demographic Profile Data for the General Assembly District 18 (2010), New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, November 28, 2013. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Legislative Roster 2014-2015 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ District 18 Legislators, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ Staff. "NEW JERSEY / METRO NEWS IN BRIEF", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 1991. Accessed July 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 NJ Senate District 18- History, OurCampaigns.com. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 NJ Assembly 18 - History, OurCampaigns.com. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Joseph F. "THE 1993 ELECTIONS: New Jersey Legislature; Cut Taxes 30 Percent? Whitman's Top Statehouse Allies Say Not So Fast", The New York Times, November 4, 1993. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  11. ↑ Preston, Jennifer. "ON POLITICS;Enter Harriet Derman, Lawmaker Turned Insider", The New York Times, June 23, 1996. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  12. ↑ Edge, Wally. PolitickerNJ How Buono got to Trenton, PolitickerNJ.com, January 12, 2010. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  13. ↑ Sullivan, John. "POLITICS;Why a Swing District Swung to the Democrats", The New York Times, November 12, 1995. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  14. ↑ Staff. "Primaries take shape at N.J. filing deadline, Especially in the north, new district boundaries will mean new challenges for legislators.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11, 2001. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  15. ↑ Halbfinger, David M. "Control of the State Senate Hinges on a Handful of Races", The New York Times, November 4, 2001. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Staff. "THE 2001 ELECTIONS; RESULTS -- The Races for New Jersey", The New York Times, November 8, 2001. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  17. ↑ Caiazza, Tom. "Barnes III assumes father's Assembly seat: Barnes Jr. confirmed by state Senate as chair of Parole Board", Brick Township Bulletin, March 21, 2007. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  18. ↑ "New Jersey Governor - 2013 Election". The New York Times (New York). November 6, 2013. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  19. ↑ "New Jersey Ballot Measures and State Legislature - 2013 Election Results". The New York Times (New York). November 6, 2013. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  20. ↑ Staff. "Vote Totals for the Elections Held on Tuesday in New York and New Jersey", The New York Times, November 9, 1989. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  21. ↑ Sullivan, Joseph F. "THE 1993 ELECTIONS: New Jersey Legislature; Cut Taxes 30 Percent? Whitman's Top Statehouse Allies Say Not So Fast", The New York Times, November 4, 1993. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  22. ↑ Staff. "THE 1997 ELECTIONS: RESULTS; The Races for the New Jersey Assembly", The New York Times, November 5, 1997. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  23. ↑ Kocieniewski, David. "THE 1999 ELECTIONS: NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY; Democrats Win Seats in Three Districts, Narrowing Republicans' Majority", The New York Times, November 3, 1999. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  24. ↑ Kocieniewski, David. "THE 2003 ELECTION: THE STATEHOUSE; Democrats Seize Senate And Widen Assembly Gap", The New York Times, November 5, 2003. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  25. ↑ Staff. "2009 Election Results", The New York Times, November 9, 2009. Accessed July 1, 2010.
  26. ↑ Official List; Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2013 Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 4, 2013. Accessed January 30, 2014.